4 Myths of Free National Criminal and Background Search

If you find a company offering a free national criminal and Background Search, think twice. Before asking a company to do a free national criminal and background search, or conducting one of your own, there are a number of myths that must first be corrected.

Myth #1: When conducting a free national and criminal Background Search:

There is a database accessible to the public that contains all the criminal records in the country.

Indeed, there are national databases containing all the criminal records in the country. The main national criminal database is known as the National Crime Information Center, or NCIC. However, the said database is NOT accessible to the public for use in free national and criminal Background Searchs. Only the FBI and selected agencies are allowed to access the NCIC. Another national database maintained by the FBI is the National Instant Criminal Background Search System, or NICS, which also cannot be used in a free national and criminal Background Search.

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Myth #2: When conducting a free national and criminal Background Search:

All criminal data in the country is accessible to the public.

A number of federal laws and statutes limit the access and use of an individual’s criminal records, regulating what information can be retrieved in a free national and criminal Background Search. These include the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act.

Aside from these, various states are imposing their own restrictions with regards to access to personal information in a free national criminal and background search. This is because of the increasing concerns over identity theft and privacy. State laws are being created, where certain personal data will no longer be available in public records. This makes conducting a free national and criminal Background Search more difficult.

Myth #3: When conducting a free national and criminal Background Search:

All 50 states have computerized criminal databases.

Nearly all the states in the country have automated systems that are used to collect criminal data from the various counties and towns in their jurisdiction. However, only half of these systems are fully automated. Thus, state databases that can be used in a free national and criminal Background Search may not always be complete and up-to-date.

Myth #4: When conducting a free national and criminal Background Search:

It can produce complete results.

Although it is possible to conduct a free national and criminal Background Search, such a search would usually only be limited to public resources in your area. If you want to conduct a thorough national and criminal background search , it is recommended that you conduct on-site searches on the various places where the subject has lived in the last seven years. Traveling to these areas can be quite expensive.

With all these, it is now obvious that a free national criminal and background search is not entirely possible. Companies offering free national criminal and background search are more likely advertising false claims. However, it should be noted that with enough time, money and effort, it is STILL possible to conduct a thorough criminal background search on an individual.